YouthBuild students launch drive to benefit food bank
SAN LUIS, Ariz. — As happens every spring, students in a remedial education program are going door to door in this city collecting nonperishable food for the Yuma Community Food Bank.
The youths make up the current class of YouthBuild, a nationwide program in which participants take classes to earn high school equivalency or GED certificates and also receive training in construction trades.
As part of program requirements, the students undertake community service projects, and the San Luis YouthBuild program selected the food bank as its annual beneficiary.
The current class launched its drive April 3 to collect nonperishable food, either in cans, packages or boxes. Its goal is to gather at least 7,000 pounds of food, an increase form 6,653 pounds collected by the prior class.
“A lot of people don’t have enough to eat,” said Cesar Linares, a YouthBuild student and one of the leaders of the food drive. “It’s sad to see it, but it’s very satisfying to be a volunteer. We’re just asking people to contribute.”
The YouthBuild program helps high school dropouts between 16 and 24 get a second chance at an education and training. The San Luis program is administered by Tucson-based nonprofit education and job training organization that serves rural Arizona.
The current class, consisting of about 15 students, is the 17th one to be held in San Luis since the program came to the Arizona border city.
Michelle Merkley, community engagement manager for the food bank, said the students’ food drive is taking place at just the right time to help those in need.
“As the summer approaches, we don’t have enough food (in stock to feed everyone), and this is very important,” she said. “We depend a lot on the community’s support.”
The food bank needs to stockpile as much as possible for the summer, she said, owing to high seasonal unemployment in the area and given that growers are no longer providing the food bank winter vegetables.
Martin Bobadilla, also a student leader of the food drive, said San Luis residents have responded generously to the campaign.
“The goal is to gather the largest amount of food possible, but also to grow (as individuals) through community service,” he said. “This helps prepare us to face any challenge.”
Besides going door to door, the YouthBuild program is accepting food donations at PPEP campus in San Luis, 731 N. 1st Ave., from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information about the campaign, call the YouthBuild program coordinator in San Luis, Jesse Lopez, at (928) 9203631.